Ron Paul Moneybombs Give Way to Fire Sale

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Ron Paul Moneybombs Give Way to Fire Sale

May 29, 2008 11:05 AM

ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf reports: If there was one overriding principle of the presidential campaign of Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, it might be this: markets work.

But if you are going to trust the government, healthcare, and everything else to markets -- do the same principles of supply and demand apply to presidential campaigns?

What then to make of the first email by Ron Paul's campaign to supporters in a month -- not announcing a rally of seeking campaign fundraising, but advertising a fire sale of "Ron Paul '08" merchandise.

For a mere $25, Ron Paulians can order a grab bag of magnets, buttons, stickers, mouse pads, key chains, hats, wrist bands "and more!." The package will also include a single t-shirt. And if that's not enough to sway you, the $25 includes shipping.

Paul's spokesman, Jesse Benton, said not to infer anything from the sale.

"We're just trying to clear some stuff out because we're getting a little low on storage space," Benton said, pointing out there is less need for yard signs that say Ron Paul Iowa now that the Iowa primary is over.

Benton said the Paul campaign still gets anywhere from 20 to 50 orders per day for t-shirts and other items in the Ron Paul online store, although he admits there were "many times that" number of orders earlier in the campaign.

While Paul is trying to get rid of merchandise, other campaigns that may or may not be on their last legs are trying to jazz up their base with t-shirt contests.

To be fair, the market is also giving Paul mixed messages. He may have a glut of mouse pads and magnets, but the book he released last month, "The Revolution: A Manifesto," is still in the top 20 as far as sales on Amazon.com, the best selling book by a presidential candidate at the moment.

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., is next, at just outside the top 50, with "The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream."

Paul made a career in the House of opposing the more paternalist nature of Washington and he made a splash early on in the Republican presidential campaign when his small-government, market-based, anti-interventionist, laissez-faire principles led to millions raised in an Internet groundswell.

Read more about that HERE and HERE.

But now that Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz, is the presumptive Republican nominee, it is a fine line that Paul is walking. He says he is winding down his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination (in large part because he is mathematically unable to win it).

He does not want to follow many of his most ardent supporters to the Libertarian party. He ran for President as a Libertarian once before, in 1988, and now says the American political system is too weighted against third parties. Former Republican Congressman Bob Barr of Georgia won the Libertarian nomination this week.

But while he realizes he can't win, Paul is still encouraging people to vote for him. His plan is to take delegates to the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis in September and demonstrate that the libertarian wing of the Republican party is not going away.

Benton said Paul is holding out hope for an invitation from the national party to speak in Minneapolis, but "we aren't holding our breath."

If snubbed, Paul's supporters and however many delegates he has amassed by then (the current ABC News scorecard gives Paul 14 delegates to McCain's 1267), Benton said, will make themselves seen in Minneapolis and Paul will speak at his own shadow events there in Minneapolis.

And moving on, Paul still plans to turn his vocal support into a permanent campaign to reclaim the Republican party for his small government ethos. And as Republicans find themselves with less power in Washington, DC, you can admittedly see the rank and file of the party start to adopt some of those very ideals as they oppose spending bills proposed by the Democrats who have run Congress since 2006.

May 29, 2008 in McCain, John, Thompson, Fred | Permalink | User Comments (59)

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I personally have boycotted ABC. I don't care if you all do the same or not, but it is just sickening to know the truth behind our mainstream media and their policies. We've been blind all along.

Posted by: Truthseeker | May 29, 2008 6:48:16 PM

Byron, thanks for the heads up on the
sale. I plan on stocking up so I can be paulpimpt for the the R3volution March
July 12, Washington DC. Be there or be
square!

Posted by: DDT | May 29, 2008 7:04:15 PM

Yeah its funny that Obamas Book gets a link to amazon and Pauls book doesn't . This article is such a transperant hit on paul.
ABC news is not bringing the people the real news they bring the people the news they want us to swallow. by manipulating stories and headlines. Shame on you ABC.
I'm Boycotting.

Posted by: Josh | May 29, 2008 7:30:59 PM

Don't be so hard on yourself and others, Truthseeker -- our "blindness" is understandable, though. We live in an American Idol, Post-Jerry Springer, and Fascist Corporate Era. Not to mention the gradual seperation of US Citizens and the Nanny Government from apathy, lazyness, and ignorance. It also doesn't help that the slowly monopolizing mass media is reading from Rupert Mordoch's "viewers are morons and trailer park trash" playbook.

Personally, these are all distractions from our main purpose. That is to take back our government! And take it back we will, cause the wine press of tyranny is now reaching a critical mass. Become a delegate, become a member of your local government, become a congressman, become a senator, become involved!

There is a Republican vaccum that is growing as people leave the Party for its hypocrisy -- small government, fiscal responsibility, non-interventionist, pro-constitution, and pro-liberty are true Republican values. Now is the time to fill that void with people with principle, integrity, and who will uphold their oath to the Constitution of the United States of America.

The British eventually restrained King George III from having unbridled power. Why should Americans let King George W. Bush have more powers then the British King ever had? Don't believe me? Google: Bush Claims More Powers Than King George III... this is an obscenity. It is time to have our grievances redressed as is written in our constitution.

Posted by: DJ | May 29, 2008 7:32:26 PM

I'll never call Obama "Mr President". NEVER. Hey Obamabots, F*CK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: EatShIt | May 29, 2008 7:39:16 PM

Wake up folks, a vote for ANY one of Clinton, Obama or McCain is a vote for the same corporate control we have today. Can't you see????

Ron Paul is the ONLY hope for change. A change back to the America that the forefathers envisioned. A constitutional Republic.

Any vote NOT for Ron Paul is in my opinion tantamount to treason!

Posted by: FlyontheWall | May 29, 2008 8:44:54 PM

If you have a brain and are a reasonable person, vote for Ron Paul.

He is truely our only hope.

Posted by: Mike | May 29, 2008 8:48:29 PM

Dude you can use that stuff for when he runs again next year

Posted by: joker4usa | May 29, 2008 9:00:28 PM

McCain will not win. But even if he did, it would be awful. Pre-emptive war for 100 years, except we go bankrupt long before then.

Ron Paul has fresh ideas. He bridges pro-life and pro-choice Americans in a way unseen since Roe v. Wade. How? He brings us back to our roots.

What are these roots? The notion that our Creator made us with INALIENABLE rights: to life, to liberty, to the pursuit of happiness. We necessarily cede a small portion of our autonomy to "the state" for certain critical functions, but we retain our freedom minus that small part. We are FREE people.

By the way, I got that formulation from a little-known document called the United States Constitution.

The state is intended to play a very small part in our lives. It is not intended to place cameras at every street corner to record our every move, invade countries without a declaration of war and require our newly graduated sons and daughters to support those adventures with their young lives, take 50% of our income to fund its politically-motivated largesse, and utterly fail at its attempts to regulate the free market.

I want something different! How about you? Ron Paul gives me some small hope. I'm supporting him, against all odds. I have a grandchild to think about, after all!

Posted by: ellen | May 29, 2008 9:26:13 PM

I have learned something. We sure need some reporters in this country. The media we have sucks.

Posted by: Flo | May 29, 2008 9:35:40 PM

Some very quality comments by Paul supporters. It will soon fill up with Obama and McCain "kooks" making fun of us.

I am one of the many veterans who donated and voted for Dr. Paul in the primary.

Posted by: TJ | May 29, 2008 9:48:49 PM

"By the way, I got that formulation from a little-known document called the United States Constitution."

Whoa Dude I think I've heard of that, its covered in gold and has peanut butter in the middle right.

Can we Own Slaves and stuff ?
like an extra 3/5 ths Vote right

Hey is he going to visit the RON PAUL subdivision that is going to be built in his honor like a seperatist compound?

Personaly I think working with rules that respect other people and working with othe people is lame thats why I like RON PAUL only the strong survive. RON PAUL

Posted by: joker4usa | May 29, 2008 10:10:53 PM

why don't you do a story on how the Gouliani campaign is in debt an owes a few million? Keep it coming ABC, you just make us more determined.

Posted by: CD | May 29, 2008 10:14:49 PM

Ron Paul republican for life

Posted by: jon | May 29, 2008 11:16:06 PM

ESAD ABC

Posted by: Paul Lucero | May 29, 2008 11:42:17 PM

ABC, your network and your webpage is TRASH. Ron Paul has gathered at least 3 times as many delegates as you claim and your lack of accurate reporting is SHAMEFULL!!! I am so tired of having garbage shoved down the throats of my dear fellow Americans. I personally realized long ago that all mainstream media is propoganda, just as Scott McClellan has revealed. Its a good thing for a mind control center like ABC that there are still millions in the darkness. I pray for them, but there will be no saving the perpetrators of this type of junk that is being peddled to the masses. You will burn in HELL!

God bless America and Ron Paul

Posted by: ryanj | May 30, 2008 12:00:01 AM

Thanks ABC!

Every time you post an article (that allows comments) about Ron Paul, I get to learn new stuff that I didn't know before you posted the article.

PLEASE always allow commenting on your articles. I always just scroll down to the comments section to start learning.

I'm always disappointed when you don't allow commenting because you're "journalists" aren't posting knowledge and truth, so I don't get to learn anything without the comments section.

Thanks again.

Posted by: Scott | May 30, 2008 12:01:33 AM

How about reporting on Ron Paul's recent 24% finish in the Idaho primary? Or other recent totals of 16% in Pennsylvania, 15% in Oregon, and 13% in Nebraska? It seems that freedom is still popular, even if the media never figured that out.

Ron Paul has reached double digits in 14 states now -- who predicted that? He also has a book that hit number one on the New York Times best seller list, and is still in the top ten.

Posted by: Craig | May 30, 2008 12:02:07 AM

Proud to have voted for him in Washington state. He's the only republican I would vote for.

Hey! RNC! How you liking your McCain candidate? He workin out for you? Haha. Have fun in November...morons.

Posted by: Jason | May 30, 2008 12:45:05 AM

14 delegates hahahaha, McCain is going to have a tough time during the nationals. The Neo-Con agenda has been exposed. Ron Paul Will WIN WASHINGTON STATE, keep an eye out for it, you will not hear about it in the media. Conservative ideas will not DIE!!!! Let freedom ring vote RON PAUL 2008!!!!!!

Posted by: Justin | May 30, 2008 1:05:47 AM

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